Cubs think extra pounds will aid pitcher's stamina

Cruz, who will start Thursday night for the Cubs, carries 167 pounds on his 6-foot-2-inch frame. That gives the Cubs hope he will have the stamina to pitch deeper into games this season.

"He threw as many pitches as anyone this spring," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "Hopefully his stamina can stay up all year. He'll get stronger as we go."

Cruz weighed about 165 when last season ended. After his brilliant debut with the Cubs, Cruz returned to his native Dominican Republic as something of a celebrity.

Although the tendency is for players to get fat on their own success, Cruz's return had the opposite effect.

"The problem is not the food," Cruz said. "I eat very good in the Dominican. When I get to the Dominican, I have a lot to do."

Cruz, who didn't pitch past the sixth inning in any of his eight starts last season, agrees with the theory that more bulk equals more innings.

"When you get more pounds, that means more energy," he said. "If you're skinny like me and throw 97 m.p.h., maybe they think your arm will break."

Down time: Moises Alou continues to receive treatment for his strained right calf. Manager Don Baylor originally targeted Friday for Alou's Cubs debut, but it appears Saturday or Sunday is the earliest he will play. If Alou can't go Sunday, the Cubs probably will place him on the disabled list and recall infielder/outfielder Angel Echevarria, their final cut of the spring.

Good company: Jeff Fassero joined Greg Maddux and Kerry Wood on Monday in becoming only the third Cubs pitcher in the last 25 years to hit three batters in one game.

All the same Fassero would rather not have an encore. He asked Rothschild to look at the tape of his performance, and the coach noticed Fassero was leaning back during his delivery, causing an erratic release point.

Day and night: The Cubs are grumbling about the Reds' decision to schedule Thursday as a night game on the eve of the Cubs' afternoon home opener.

"They never checked the schedule with us," Baylor said. "[The quick turnaround] is something you have to live with."

Starting times are at the discretion of the home team, but the visiting team can appeal to the commissioner's office if it has longer than a two-hour flight on the eve of a day game.

A Reds official said the team might have reconsidered its 6:10 p.m. CST start time if the Cubs had asked.

The other issue is the temperature, which is expected to be in the low 30s Thursday night.

"Night games early in the season," Baylor said, "I don't know why they ever schedule them."

Show of respect: Wednesday's game was halted in the fifth inning for a minute of silence at 9:11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. In an odd coincidence, the catcher was No. 9 Todd Hundley and the batter was No. 11 Barry Larkin.

Cub files: The Cubs' NCAA tournament pool was won by none other than Mark Grace. Kerry Wood asked Grace to join because the Cubs were one entry shy. . . . The Cubs' season opener drew a robust 4.4 rating on Fox Sports Net, beating last season's average of 3.8. Each ratings point represents 32,448 households.